Metro News & Reviews

Dining: Guisados Tacos

Editor’s note: This post first appeared on El Pasajero, Metro’s Spanish-language blog, and has been translated.

Want a meal that’s a break from the ordinary but with great homemade flavor? Guisados Tacos in Boyle Heights, just steps from the Metro Local 68 stop at the corner of César Chavez Avenue and Saint Louis Street, could be the restaurant for you.

Imagine a sampler of mini tacos stuffed with six different savory fillings. I tried the chipotle, the mole poblano sauce with chicken, steak on red sauce, a pork chop simmered in green sauce, chile habanero salsa with cochinita pibil and pork skins in red sauce. Not only were they delicious, they brought back memories of the food I ate every day as a child.

That is precisely what Armando de La Torre, one of the proprietors, said was the thought behind Guisados when it opened in December, 2010.

“Here everything is homemade and of natural ingredients,” de La Toree said, adding that the food is all made fresh daily to ensure the best flavors but also because they always seem to sell out.

There also are offerings for vegetarians. I sampled the black bean taco with habanero salsa and cheese, as well as one made with mushrooms and guacamole. I was not disappointed. And there are other vegetarian dishes on the menu, including zucchini, beans with cheese, quesadillas, mushrooms in cilantro sauce and sautéed peppers.

The prices are certainly reasonable. In these days of high-cost dining, the mini taco sampler is a budget stretcher. The entire sampler is just $6.99.

The restaurant seems to appeal to people from all ages and walks of life. I noticed Latino diners, anglo and African Americans, as well as visitors of Asian heritage. Everyone seemed to succumb to the aroma and flavor of the tacos and tamales.

Guisados is family friendly and open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The dishes served pair well with the naturally flavored drinks on the menu, including cantaloupe, lime, hibiscus and horchata.

The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and there is parking, although why would you drive when you can Go Metro! (Guisados is also a short walk from the Gold Line’s Soto station — walk north on Soto and then take a left on Cesar Chavez).

Also close to the Gold Line Soto Station, on east 1st., is Otomisan – a really great little Japanese hole-in-the-wall restaurant that’s been hiding there forever. An only-in-Los Angeles kind of experience.